Wireless personal area networks (“WPANs”) are used to convey information over relatively short distances. Unlike wireless local area networks (“WLANs”), connections effected via WPANs involve little or no infrastructure, and WPANS allow small, power-efficient, and inexpensive solutions to be implemented for a wide range of devices. Smart Utility Networks (“SUNs”) may operate either over short ranges such as in a mesh network where meter information is sent from one meter to another or over longer ranges such as in a star topology where meter information is sent to a poletop collection point. The terms WPAN and SUN are used interchangeably in this document.